President Moon announced the birth of the child on his Instagram last Friday, but did not mention the father. He said, “It was an unexpected pregnancy,” and “I was completely unprepared for the sudden news.”
Two days later, Jung’s agency, Artist Company, confirmed, “The baby that Moon revealed on his SNS is Jung Woo-sung’s son.”
He added, “Mr. Jeong and Mr. Moon are discussing the best way to raise their children.”
It sparked outrage that quickly spread across the country, sparking numerous comments in the tabloids, sparking online debate and eliciting commentary from national politicians.
Online, reaction to Mr. Jeong, who has become a household name in South Korea through his prolific film career, has been largely critical.
Many critics seemed to think the actor had tarnished his wholesome, loud and clean image, with some expressing disappointment that the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees ambassador “can’t accept his own child.”
One commenter on Naver News, Korea’s largest news website, wrote, “Jung Woo-sung is pretending to be good and say he will do his duty… Children do not grow up with money alone.”
“It’s not a problem to have children and not get married. “He has pretended to be such an ethical person all this time,” wrote another.
In an interview with conservative media outlet JoongAng, an anonymous member of the conservative People Power Party described Rep. Chung’s decision to have a child out of wedlock as “unthinkable in this country with its social conventions.”
“No matter how times change, Korea’s traditions and public sentiment must be preserved (justly),” he said.
A recent social survey by Statistics Korea found that 37% of people think it is acceptable to have children out of wedlock. This is an increase of almost 15% since 2012.
More than 72% of those who said they needed to get married were over 60, while younger respondents were less likely to think they needed to get married.
